Category Archives: War Machine

The Trabuco may not be a well-known weapon in the 21st-century but to the people of Medieval Europe would quake in their boots if one of these enormous siege machines would appear close to their castle or city.

The Trabuco is a well-known piece of war machinery but the name is often not too known by the majority of communities across the planet; this machine was initially popularized in ancient China around 300 B.C. when it would be moved and operated by slaves and members of the military without the automation achieved in Medieval Europe based on priberam.pt.

The Trabuco made its way across the planet before arriving in Europe around 500 A.D. according to pt.bab.la when generals on Mainland Europe brought this war machine to Europe and began to use it as a specialist siege weapon; major changes were made to the design of the Trabuco over the course of its time in Europe including the development of different technologies designed to increase the power created to hurl missiles up to 300 yards across a battlefield.

Chinese engineers had initially created a machine where troops were used to pull down on ropes to propel the arm of the Trabuco and launch missiles into the distance. Europeans obviously liked the idea and initial design of the Trabuco but believed it could be improved and powered the new design with a counterweight to improve performance. The Chinese design relied on the troops used to pull down on ropes remaining fresh and not tired, a question taken out of the equation by the redesigned machine according to banco.bradesco.

Often seen as a simple design, the Trabuco is powered by a weight being pulled and released to provide power and thrust for an arm containing a sling at the rear. A range of missiles was launched from the Trabuco during its use in mainland Europe including sharpened sticks, rocks up to 200 pounds in weight, and firebrands.